Pokemon: Shuffle
by J.P-NU
Summary: In a sleepy suburb of Tokyo, Yuusuke Kaiya finds himself sucked into the Pokémon card game. What follows is a series of hotblooded adventures as he aims for the world's greatest Card Trainer!


So this is a challenge I set for myself when discussing the Pokémon TCG with a friend. The question was "How would an anime in the vein of Yugioh, Cardfight! Vanguard, or Battle Spirits for the PokéTCG, to which my answer was "Very cliché". From there I decided I would write a fanfic in the spirit of a cliché shonen card battle anime. As such, expect everything that genre has to offer for better or for worse, but above all else, enjoy a load of camp nonsense with card games~

* * *

**POKÉMON: SHUFFLE**

**STAGE 1: THE NEW KID IN TOWN**

The two mighty creatures stared each other down, neither giving an inch. Their battle had been a long and tense now, with their allies being mowed down beside them. Their masters locked eyes across the battlefield, driving passion swelling within them. The mighty behemoth made of rock roared in protest at it's reptilian foe. The snake creature grinned from ear to ear, obviously knowing what suffering would be in store. A crowd had gathered very quickly once word of the battle had gotten out. The snake's owner had been winning battles left right and centre for a long time now, and he had whittled down his competition to the point that now the only remaining person to fight was his current opponent. If he won, he would have had a straight win record against every person in school.

The two of them stood opposed, the snake's owner, was a slender young man whose status as the elder of the two fighters was betrayed by a pristine face that would not have been out-of-place amongst the freshmen. Whereas his opponent was more rotund, and despite being his junior, had a weary face, made even worse by the expression he wore now, a mix of frustration and fear. Sweat was racing down his brow, despite having the advantage at present. He had the stronger creature and if he had just one more chance to attack the victory would be his, but despite this, his opponent, who held the weaker creature was totally composed. Even if his calm exterior was a mere bluff, that gaze, that penetrating gaze, was enough to throw his enemy off kilter.

"Congratulations on getting this far" he snorted, placing a hand over the pile of cards beside him "But I'm drawing the curtain on this little skirmish".  
"I-If you're going to do it, do it!" the underclassmen grimaced, clutching the cards in his hand tighter still.  
"It's my turn, draw" his opponent announced, paying him no attention. He flipped a couple cards in his hand around and moved the necessarily one to the front. He left aloft the card and in an instant the room was filled with a dazzling green light.

"O great beast that dwells in the darkness of the forest, burst forth and entwine my enemy in inescapable despair!" he chanted "I evolve my Servine into... SERPERIOR!". A tornado of light engulfed his creature, raising up through the ceiling. It twisted and turned throughout the room, closing in on the snake's body and elongating. It stretched across until it was even larger than the opponent and in a flash, materialised. The graceful green snake unfolded it's body, revealing the true extent of it's newfound mass. It's eyes that had been smug and sneering were now still and emotionless. It no longer thought it could take anything their opponent threw at it, _it knew_.

"It's been amusing enough, but it's over" the dark-haired upperclassmen sighed. With a flick of his hand he bellowed "Serperior attacks with Leaf Storm!".

Serperior's eyes glowed a faint green before suddenly, all that anyone could see was a torrent of deep green, taking the form of leaves and blasting the opposing creature away.

"Gigalith!" his owner howled, powerless to stop his creature being utterly obliterated by the unyielding vortex. The holographic projectors overhead ceased and the entire room became dark and silent. The underclassman's fists crashed down onto the table, sweat positively streaming off his face now.

His opponent quietly picked up his remaining prize and tossed it in with his other cards. He quietly scooped them up and wandered off without saying a word, not even glancing back on his opponent. It was all too obvious. That creature's eyes, those piercing eyes so certain of victory belonged to him. One of the girls from the audience slowly approached the brooding loser, reaching out a hand in support.

"Daichi-kun I..." she began.  
"Save it Miyuki!" he snapped back, trying to fight back his rage but failing spectacularly. The girl recoiled, resting her arm with a sigh.

Bit by bit the crowd dispersed. Each one of them had something to say about the display. Some were dismayed that it had not gone Daichi's way, others were less kind, saying that after he had talked such a big game he had been well-and-truly dominated by the opponent. It was funny, Miyuki mused, that people are at their loudest when whispering so as to be overheard. By the end, the only ones left in that empty classroom were Daichi, Miyuki, and two of their friends.

The first was a small boy sporting a brown flat cap, which hid where his light red hair ended. He looked very young for his age, with his face not yet growing out of it's girl-like features. He was hanging his head in disappointment and kicking his foot out in front of him, looking desperately for something to preoccupy himself with whilst Daichi got himself together. The other one was much taller, standing at least a head or two over his younger classmate. If the smaller boy was looking to hide his sadness, the taller boy was not looking at all. His face was surprisingly blank, a total void of expression. His fringe was cut quite low so as to obscure his eyebrows, making it very hard to read just what it was he was feeling.

Daichi took a deep breath and turned to face his friends.

"Miyuki, Naoto, Koushiro, I'm sorry" he blubbed, hanging his head in apology.  
"You've nothing to worry about Daichi-Kun" replied Miyuki reassuringly "Kuromori-San is a really tough opponent and you fought as best you could".  
"It's my fault really..." Koushiro, the smaller of the two boys said, placing his face in his palm "Even though I pawed over your deck I wound up creating a couple of balance issues".  
"It was fine. He was just way, way, way, way, way way, way way, way way, way way, way way, way better than you" Naoto added. No-one felt the need to correct his manner of speaking in the circumstances, this was about as close as Naoto got to a compliment, IF he was being serious.  
"Th-thanks guys" Daichi smiled, wiping away another tear "It's just really irritating y'know? That goddamn Genji Kuromori has defeated every single Card Trainer in the goddamn school now!"  
"It's true, every single one of them has challenged Kuromori in the hope of dethroning him but he's been the school's top ever since he started here.." Koushiro noted, his hand moving down his face to cup his chin "At this point basically everyone has given up playing Pokémon because there's no reason to aspire to anything, Kuromori is just that good..."  
"He's graduating at the end of the year, that's something to look forward to" Naoto said, again, no-one was able to determine whether this was sarcasm or not.  
"I guess we just have to face facts. No-one's ever gonna give us back our Pokémon Battles until Kuromori graduates" concluded Daichi. The general mood at this point was one of total defeat. Everyone could feel themselves getting hit with the same frustration that Daichi had been lumbered with  
"I don't believe that for a second!" Miyuki protested, punctuated by the stamping of her feet "Somewhere out there, there must be _someone_ who can defeat Genji Kuromori!"

* * *

_"ACHOO!~"_

The sneeze rocketed Yuusuke out of his makeshift bed, sending him crashing onto the floor. His blue hair crumpled downwards, covering his face, whilst the white highlights stuck in the air with a life of their own. The morning light was already pouring in, and Yuusuke was absolutely beat after the previous night's work. The family had only just moved into this house the night before and rather than the sensible option of unpacking everything, his dad had opted to throw a soiree in lieu of a proper housewarming. Not that Yuusuke could really complain about that, getting a sneaky beer was always awesome (ED: KIDS, DRINKING UNDERAGE IS NOT ALWAYS AWESOME), but what he did not appreciate was that they had foregone learning how the heating system worked and he had been forced to sleep in his freezing room, with all his stuff still packed away in boxes.

Yuusuke looked around the room he would be staying in from now on. It was certainly a lot bigger than the one he had back in the country, but that just made it feel emptier. His old room had his heights as he grew up drawn on the door. There was a slit in the wall from when he and his friends had happened upon one of their brother's shurikens and thrown it at the wall. It also had a bit of mangy old goop stuck to the ceiling from when he had got bored and hurled wet toilet paper at it. This room was pristine, and it just felt alien.

_"I'll have to add a couple of character marks to this studio apartment horsecrap..."_ Yuusuke resolved.

The only thing Yuusuke had that was unpacked at present was his school uniform and backpack and so he diligently changed into it. He had yet to find a full-size mirror to adorn his wall with but he was already convinced the jacket looked really stupid, and so hurled it into his backpack immediately. It was not like he had any textbooks at present so for the first time since he was a kindergartner, he went downstairs with his bag packed with a single item.

The smell of his mother's cooking immediately caught with nose and dragged him into the kitchen like two meathooks sticking through him. It was just an omelette but there was something about the way his mom made them that Yuusuke just found astounding. He chalked it up to her having worked up a decade or so of experience in the culinary trade.

"Good morning, Yuusuke" his mother chirped, flipping the omelettes and handing him the orange juice without missing a beat.  
"Morning mom" he replied. He took the orange juice and made about pouring himself a glass.  
"Are you excited to be starting your new school today puppy?" Mother Kaiya asked.  
"I guess so.. a-and could you PLEASE not call me puppy?" her son winced, each and every time she had called him that throughout his childhood stinging him repeatedly.  
"Hmm, then what would you like to be called?" she asked, playfully raising her pitch. She set the omelette down on a plate and presented it to her exasperated son.  
"Yuusuke! Just call me Yuusuke please!" he demanded "And especially if I ever bring friends around. Last thing I want in a new place is to have everyone laughing at 'puppy' here...".  
"Oh my, to think that my little boy is already too old for 'puppy'?" Mother Kaiya sarcastically sighed "How the years tick by oh how I remember the days when...". She subjected Yuusuke to a recount of a youth that she did not have entirely for the express purpose of irritating him, but he decided he would drop in and out just to make sure she was not saying anything important. He just carried on diligently eating his breakfast.

"Thanks for the grub mom!" he said, flinging his bag over his back and making a break for the door "I'll check you later!".  
"Bye hon, have a great first day" she chirped in reply.  
"I will. I-". He was cut off by the fist bursting out of his blind spot. He reacted without thinking, moving backwards, his body flipping momentously. The fist collided with the wall with just enough face not to mess up the paint job that the attacker had done in preparation for them moving in.  
"Oh~ Not bad Yuusuke. Anyone other than MY son and that would have been a direct hit. You're a Kaiya after all!" grinned Father Kaiya, standing in front of his son stroking his fist.  
"What the hell pops? Get out of the way I'm gonna be late for school" Yuusuke protested.  
"And I'll be late for work if I have to stand here all day keeping you still" he retorted "So why don't you do as you're told and... YIELD!". He dived forward, ready to strike, his hand stretched with his fingers slithering for the attack. "Take this! FINISHING MOVE! Thousand-Years of Tickling Hell!".

Yuusuke was struck with panic. His father's capacity for playful torture was beyond the threshold of any normal man's. If he was caught he WOULD be tickled into oblivion. He dived for the surfboard propped up against the wall, thinking it lucky that of all the objects they HAD unloaded so far that was one of them.

"Like hell!" he roared, slamming the surfboard down upon his father's crown. He pushed down with all his might, until he could slide his foot on top of the board and without a moment's hesitation launched himself across the hallway, landing straight in front of the door, leading his father to collapse into a heap on the pile of boxes behind.

_"I suppose how big this place is isn't so bad..."_ Yuusuke remarked to himself. He slammed down the door handle and flew out, not wasting another second of time. His father picked himself up, dusting himself down. His suit was out of place now, and he had probably made himself late for work, but that was just the kind of dad he was.

"Morning dear" Mother Kaiya smiled, setting her husband's breakfast down at the table "You seem to be in a good mood".  
"'course I am!" he chuckled, sitting himself down to eat "It's always a proud moment for a man when his son finally gets the better of him".  
"Oh you two are just the same as ever" his (long-suffering) wife sighed "I was kinda worried the change of scenery would have affected him".  
"I know what you mean, after living in the boondocks for so long I figured the city would be daunting for him, lord knows it was for me when I first moved to the country, but he seems alright about it".  
"I guess so.."

Mother Kaiya at last finished her own meal and took a seat beside her husband. The two of them had made the decision to move into the city after the patriarch had been offered a lucrative job nearby. Mother Kaiya had also found a job at the local news station, however she had managed to negotiate a later start date so she could send her boys off in the morning until they had settled in properly.

"Do you think Yuusuke will keep his head down and stay clean this time?" she finally plucked up the courage to ask. Her partner stared away from her for a moment, releasing a concerned groan.  
"No. No I don't think he will" he sighed "It's just in that kid's nature to get involved with other people's business..."

* * *

Daichi and Miyuki made the walk to school every day. They had lived across the road from one another since they were born and ever since they had been old enough to make the school trip unsupervised, they had done it together. Today started out no different than normal. Daichi had crossed the road, not bothering to look both ways because there was barely ever any traffic on the street. Knocked on the door 4 times, and Miyuki had answered, still applying the finishing touches to her hair. They then walked along to the nearby bakery and both bought the same old breakfast to go they always bought, and ate them along the way. They would eventually reach the road leading to the train crossing.

"Are you feeling any better since yesterday?" Miyuki asked, quite innocently.  
"Yeah I guess so" replied Daichi, trying his damnedest to hide the fact it was still bothering him. Miyuki caught it instantly and felt quite bad.  
"Well it's not like you HAVE to quit playing" she said "There's plenty of other people at school who you could have a Card Battle against".  
"No offence Miyuki, but it's not half as simple as you think" groaned Daichi "When you see everyone systematically beaten like that you just.. lose all drive y'know? I know it's silly, and we'll probably all be right as rain before long. But for the time being no-one has the fighting spirit to play, and if not one single person plays... I really think we'll drop the game".  
"That's a real shame" she said, biting her lip, the 'no offence' remark DID offend her. She would never say it out loud but whenever some said that she wanted to beat them up and say "no harm done". What she did end up saying was "The Card Battling was such an important part of everyone's day-to-day..."

Eventually they reached the level crossing. Once again, it was the same old story. They would time it so the barrier was JUST descending but got across before the trains were anywhere near. Then one would approach from the side they came out at, with the other one passing by a minute later. Daichi trotted across, using hours of grueling gym classes to move his feet across the tracks, setting down safely on the other side. He began to walk and continue the conversation when he noticed something strange. Miyuki was not there.

A cold sweat ran down the back of his neck, even worse than when he had been defeated by Genji. He turned around, knowing what to expect but praying that he was totally off the mark. He was not. Miyuki was hunched down on the furthest track, her shoe caught in the track. She must have slipped when passing over because the shoe was well and truly stuck. It had slid under so that she could not reach the laces to untie them. For all intents and purposes she was stuck there.

"D-Daichi-Kun help!" she squealed, frantically pulling on her foot.  
"H-Hold on! I'll-".

There was no way Daichi could finish his sentence. The train that approached first was screeching past him. There was no way he would be able to get there. The other train would come past in a moment, and it was a very short moment when Daichi would be able to rush in to try and grab Miyuki.

"D-Damn it! MIYUKI!" he cried. It was all he could do.

On the other side of the train, Miyuki was desperately trying with all her might. She was being buffeted by the train screeching past her. The noise drowned out Daichi's cries entirely and she could see the other train beginning it's approach. This was how she would die, she thought, swiftly and silently. Human instinct had better ideas than to stand around waiting for impending doom, and it was not going to let Miyuki keel over and die. She dug her hands underneath the track, cutting her fingers on the shards of glass and who knew what else trapped under there and began to fumble about with the laces. The train was getting louder, baring down on her, blissfully unaware she was going to be crushed. Her fingers slipped into the knots and she unceremoniously ripped them out, leaving the shoe a husk of it's former self. She was free!

She pulled her foot out of the shoe faster than she knew she could and went to make her move. The train on the other side tailed off, leaving the path between her and safety open. Daichi threw himself onto the other side almost instantaneously, ready to grab her, but it was too late now, the oncoming train was going to strike before he had even landed. The two of them exchanged one final glance, and then Miyuki turned her eyes away in preparation.

What happened next was a complete blur. Something shot out from the other side of the track, throwing two firm arms around Miyuki and jerking her out of her position. A figure shot straight past Daichi, hitting off the barrier and tumbling along the ground, the boy's frame trying to cushion every single impact in his damsel's place. The momentum stopped and the two stopped in a heap on the ground a short way down. Daichi turned his head, positively perplexed. He stood gawking for a moment before shuffling after them.

"Nnn..." murmured Miyuki, completely out of her head from the sudden lack of death. She stared down at the flop of blue and white in front of her. She was sat on top of a boy who looked equally dazed. He appeared to be wearing a (what probably would have been moments before) pristine new school uniform, the same one that she and Daichi wore. Strange then, that she did not recognise the boy before her at all.

"Pheeeeew. Talk about seat of your pants huh?" the boy joked, rising to match the girl's gaze. "You okay there miss?" he asked.  
"Y-YEs I am! I-uh-I am well uh.." Miyuki spluttered. She was red as a beet, despite being pale just a moment ago. She rocketed off the boy's lap, causing him _some_ much discomfort. "Th-Thank you!". She gave a polite bow.  
"Miyuki! Are you okay?" Daichi interjected, puffing and panting. He was not out of shape but then anyone would be out of breath after everything that had happened.  
"Y-Yeah somehow..." she sighed "It's all thanks to this guy.. oh sorry, that's rude.. um what was your name?"  
"Name's Yuusuke" the boy said, rising to his feet "Yuusuke Kaiya, that's me".  
"W-Well Kaiya-San, I-I'm really grateful for you saving me!" Miyuki said with another bow.  
"Yeah, thanks man" Daichi said, patting him on the shoulder, probably a little harder, and a little meaner than he meant.  
"T'weren't nuthin'" Yuusuke replied "But maaaaaybe you wanna wear something a little easier to slip off next time huh?"  
"Yes I will don't you worry!"  
"Oh and Kaiya-San is my old bastard's man, you can just call me Yuusuke"  
"O-Oh okay, t-then thank you very much Y-Yuusuke.." she said, blushing even harder.  
"AW CRAP!" he suddenly exclaimed, eyes darting to his watch "Between this and the old man, like hell am I gonna be late on the first day! Check you guys later!".

And with that their strange savior was off.

"He's kinda off, don't you think?" asked Daichi, looking for some reassurance that it was not just him. He looked to Miyuki and all she could do was stare down the road after Yuusuke, her face bright red. Daichi's eyes almost rolled right out of their sockets.

"C'mon, let's get going, we're late too".

* * *

The local middle school was a modest building by most standards. It stood 2 storeys high, with a sports field that it had to share with the local football team situated further down the road. To the far side stood the gym, a structure that stood almost as tall as the school. It would have been impressive in most cases however all it really did in this case was highlight just how humdrum the main building was. From the outside it was difficult to tell it even was a school, apart from the billboard outside the main gate the only other feature on the building was a clock located in the centre of the 2nd floor. The school was home to far too many students than it was designed to cater for, and was mostly the place for children from the lower-middle classes to come.

Class 2B's homeroom was located around the back of the building, it's windows overlooking the 400m track to the west of the field. On some days the football team would be practicing and keeping the students' attention wound up being exactly as difficult as it sounded.

Daichi and Miyuki were both puffing and panting as they ran into the classroom. "Is the teacher here yet?" asked Daichi, rushing for his seat.  
"Not yet, he's busy doing something or other..." one of his classmates called out. Daichi and Miyuki sat down and hurriedly got out their books ready for the teacher's arrival.  
"Say, Miyuki-Chan! Why're you so late this morning?" one of Miyuki's friends asked, leaning over with a couple of the other girls, dying for an answer.  
"Well that's uh..." she mumbled, searching for a way to explain her eventful journey to school "I guess you could say I met my saviour this morning~"  
"Whaaaaaa? Miyuki-Chan what'd you mean?"  
"Tell us! Tell us!"

Daichi shot a dissatisfied glance in Miyuki's direction, which went totally unnoticed. He was about to speak up when their teacher came in through the door. The entire class rose to great him, bowing politely.

"Okay, be seated" he instructed. He made his way to his desk and began shuffling papers. "Apologies for my lateness, I was busy inducting the new student".  
"New student?" murmured the class "Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" "Who cares as long as they're cute?" "I wonder what kinda parents they have!"  
"Yes, well.." said the teacher, clearing his throat to catch their attention "Without further ado, please welcome the new member of the class..."  
_"A new student.. I couldn't be..."_ thought Miyuki, remembering an unfamiliar boy wearing a familiar uniform that she had met not even an hour ago.  
"...Yuusuke Kaiya-kun"  
"Him?" gasped Daichi

Sure enough, Yuusuke swanned into the classroom, waving to his new classmates and giving them a cheesy grin. The murmurs started up again as each and every one of them began to silently judge him. All of them scrunched their faces and tried to make some decision in their mind, except for Miyuki who was positively beaming with happiness.

"Yo everyone, name's Yuusuke!" smiled the transfer student, capping with a bow "I just moved in from the countryside. It's nice to meet you all".  
"Kaiya-Kun, please take a seat at the desk in front of Tachibana-Kun" instructed the teacher, pointing to the bespectacled redheaded girl at the back. Yuusuke made his way over. The girl was not even looking at him, merely staring intently at the book in front of her. Yuusuke sat down in his seat, and in one swift movement, turned around to face her.  
"Yo~ I'm Yuusuke Kaiya!" he chirped. The girl slowly raised her head and looked at Yuusuke as though he had two of them.  
"...Homura... Tachibana" she said quietly. Yuusuke gave her a smile and then turned to face the front.

Miyuki and Daichi could not take their eyes off him, but whereas Miyuki's has a look of relief and anticipation, Daichi's was more one of unfounded loathing. He caught himself staring and forced his attention to his studies.

* * *

Morning classes past by and lunchtime rolled around without incident. Yuusuke was preparing to make his way out when he was stopped by Miyuki and Daichi.

"Hello again" she smiled. Daichi just nodded.  
"Oh hey you're the guys from earlier" Yuusuke replied "Fancy seeing you two here!"  
"I was surprised when you walked in too!" chuckled Miyuki "So Yuusuke-Kun, do you have any idea what you wanna do at lunch?"  
"Nyeh, not really" Yuusuke huffed, throwing his arms behind his head "Just figured I'd check out the campus y'know, take in the sights.."  
Daichi hurriedly answered "Yeah great idea, guess we'll leave you t-"  
"Yuusuke-Kun why don't you let us show you around?" Miyuki chirped.  
"Hey yeah, that'll be great thanks!"  
"...to it..." Daichi finished under his breath.  
"You say something?"  
"No... let's go"  
"Oh, I'm Miyuki by the way. Miyuki Hanasaki"  
"Daichi Kudaki"  
"Miyuki and Daichi! Got it, nice to meet you"

The threesome made their way out of the classroom and began a tour of the school. Miyuki was full of life about the whole thing, giving Yuusuke the ins and outs of everything that they passed. She weaved a great tapestry of stories about pupils and faculty present and past. Yuusuke followed her direction, astounded by everything, and repeatedly telling them how boring his old school was by comparison, and Daichi tagged along just behind, weighed down by his chagrin. At the end of the tour, they made their way out onto the schoolyard where they were greeted by Naoto and Koushiro.

"Ah, Naoto-Kun, Koushiro-Kun" Miyuki remarked, greeting her friends.  
"Hey guys" replied Koushiro  
"S'up..." followed Naoto  
"Hey guys, how's it going?" Daichi asked, still low on enthusiasm.  
"Not too bad" Koushiro shrugged. He fished around in his bag and pulled out a small box. He removed a cluster of cards from it and handed them to Daichi "I went through your deck by the way. I _think_ I've got rid of the issues I noticed yesterday".  
"Thanks, for all the good it'll do" Daichi sighed.  
"Hey isn't that-" Yuusuke said, nosing in. He could just about see the reverse side of the deck of cards Daichi was holding. It was something he recognised, but had not seen in many years. "Aren't those Pokémon cards?"  
"Hm? Yuusuke-Kun, you know about Pokémon too?" asked Miyuki.  
"Well, I used to play the card game when I was a kid" Yuusuke explained "I didn't think anyone still did though"  
"Um, who is this kid?" Koushiro asked, prodding Daichi's arm.  
"Oh yeah, that's right. Koushiro, Naoto, this is Yuusuke Kaiya"  
"Nice to meet you Kaiya-San, I'm Koushiro Yamamoto"  
"Naoto Fujiyo, s'up"  
"Nice to meet you, Koushiro, Naoto"  
"Say Miyuki, you and Yuusuke-San seem quite pally already" said Naoto, noticing that the two were standing side by side just outside their huddle.  
"Hmmm, yeah, what's the deal? You guys already know each other" asked Koushiro  
"Kinda, Yuusuke-Kun saved my life this morning" Miyuki smiled "I almost got hit by the train and Yuusuke-Kun got me out of the way"  
"Wow! Those things move pretty fast, impressive work Yuusuke-San!"  
"You're a regular _seigi no mikata_ aren't you?"  
"Aw shucks, y-you're making me blush! It wasn't that impressive!" Yuusuke said embarrassed. The group began to laugh amongst themselves and crack jokes, with Daichi totally uninvolved. Frustrated, he tried to think about something he could talk about. He remembered the deck in his hand and found the answer.  
"S-So yeah. Yuusuke, people _do_ still play Pokémon, in fact most kids at this school do"  
"Wow really? I'd have never thought it'd still be so popular! That's pretty cool!"  
"Uh, Daichi?" said Koushiro, prodding him again "Don't you mean 'most kids at this school used to?'"  
"Urgh, don't remind me..."  
"What, did something happen?" wondered Yuusuke.  
"Well, there's this one kid here called Genji Kuromori, in the year above us" Daichi began "He's a Card Trainer like a lot of other people".  
"Except Kuromori's really really good!" continued Koushiro "And he's gone through the entire school beating everyone!"  
"Everyone wants to be the best but after getting repeatedly thrashed by Genji, no-one's got the motivation to even try and beat him now. It's sad but I think everyone's gonna abandon the game..."  
"That sucks! What's Genji doing about it?" asked Yuusuke.  
"W-What do you mean?" said Miyuki  
"Well you all obviously look up to this Genji guy, so what's he doing to keep everyone playing?"  
"W-Well.. n-nothing?" stuttered Daichi "Why would he?"  
"Because if everyone's losing the will to play because of him, he should be a role model and do something!" Yuusuke said, flapping his arms "Ah I know! Maybe he just hasn't noticed! Say, where does Genji hang out?"  
"He normally sits around the back of the school, looking out over the football field but I don't think-" started Daichi, but he was cut off by Yuusuke bidding them farewell and running off to look for Genji.

* * *

Yuusuke found Genji exactly where Daichi had said to find him. He was sat in the shade at the base of the building, his legs stretched out. He was reading a difficult-looking book, possibly in a different language judging from the cover. Yuusuke made his way over to the upperclassman and coughed.

"Excuse me? Genji, is it?" he said.  
"Hm? What is it?" asked Genji, glancing between Yuusuke and his book.  
"My name's Yuusuke Kaiya and I-"  
"I don't know you" Genji confirmed in a stout tone.  
"W-Well yeah I just transferred here today" Yuusuke explained "Anyway, I'm here to talk to you about Pokémon cards and stuff".

The book snapped shut.

"What of it?" Genji asked sternly  
"Well I heard from one of my classmates, Daichi Kudaki, maybe you know him? Anyway, yeah, he said that you were like, the best Card Trainer or whatever in school, and because you've been beating everyone at it they're all gonna stop playing".  
"...and what's your point?"  
"Well shouldn't you be doing something about it?"  
"Why would I?" Genji scoffed, getting ready to shun Yuusuke and return to his book.  
"Well because you should be a role model to them if you're the best! It's your job as their upperclassman to see to it that they can do the things they love"

Genji put his book down and rose to his feet. He was almost a head taller than Yuusuke and his features made him look much more than just a year older. His previously unfazed look at changed to something weightier, and it was baring down on Yuusuke.

"It's of no concern to me if they want to chicken out like that. I don't go around challenging people you know, I always let them come to me. They all lose, and I tell it like it is. If it's too much, if they wanna duck out and go crying home that's their problem, not mine"  
"H-Hey now! You can't just let this slide because 'it's not your problem'! These guys are your schoolmates aren't they?"  
"I still don't understand why that makes it my problem..."  
"You don't _have_ to understand you just need to think about how they feel! If someone enjoys something of course they'll wanna be good at it, and you're showing them up and making them feel bad about not being as good as you! You're spoiling the game for everyone!"  
"I couldn't care less" Genji shrugged. He picked up his bag, threw it over his shoulder, and began to leave.

Yuusuke's fists tightened. He wanted to do something, anything, to make Genji see how he was causing grief for anyone and to make him do something about it. The lump in his throat got bigger and bigger until he felt like his neck would burst open. It could not end like this, it just was not right. Memories of his last school swelled in Yuusuke's mind, memories of beatings given and taken, arguments that could have been avoided. This could not end well, it never had before, but it was too much for him to bear. This place was different, and he would not give in to it so early.

"You know there's one person in this school you haven't defeated, and that's me!" Yuusuke roared, chasing after Genji. He gave the older boy the pointer finger and defiantly told him "Fight me, Genji Kuromori!"  
"...fight you?" Genji hissed "You _do_ know there's a reason everyone keeps touting me as the best in school don't you?"  
"I don't doubt that you're as good as they say, but still, if you won't do anything I'll have to do something, and the only thing I can think to do is beat you"  
"Words are cheap, there's a table set up in the common room. Be there after school.

With that, Genji was gone. Yuusuke's fists relaxed. The hardest part was over, or so he thought. Now all the remained was to prepare. He started up into a run, hurrying back into the yard as the bell went.

"Hey there's Yuusuke-Kun" Miyuki pointed out as he raced past. The entire group followed him utterly bewildered.  
"I gotta go somewhere!" he called back "Cover for me!"  
"I-Is he skipping class on his first day?" gulped Koushiro.  
"I'll see you guys in the common room after school!" he added from a distance.  
"The common room? Why does he wanna meet there?" muttered Daichi  
"I wonder if he's okay..." said Miyuki, clutching her chest.

* * *

Afternoon classes went by and there was no sign of Yuusuke. He seemed to just vanish after lunch break, and no-one seemed to recall seeing him around the building. Remembering Yuusuke's last words, when classes had finished for the day, Miyuki, Daichi, Naoto, and Koushiro all made their way to the common room. They all found themselves surprised to find Genji sat at the playing table. He was rocking back on a chair with his eyes closed. He snapped one open when they came in.

"You guys? What're _you_ doing here?"  
"We were told to come here..." Daichi snarled, still bitter from his defeat the previous day.  
"Don't tell me, by Yuusuke Kaiya?" groaned Genji.  
"Y-Yeah, do you know Yuusuke-Kun?" Miyuki asked.  
"He challenged me to a Card Battle. I told him to meet me here after school"  
"He _what?_" the group chorused.  
"B-But he has no chance!" Daichi fumed.  
"That's what I told him..."

"Who's got no chance?"

Everyone turned back around to the door. Yuusuke was there, just like he said he would be. He made his way across the room to the other side of the table. Genji stood up and faced him from the other side.

"Glad you guys could make it" Yuusuke remarked.

Before him was a strange contraption. A playmat was embedded into the wooden table, with everything you would need to play a game of Pokémon. The only difference to a standard playmat was a strange red device in the top centre, where the Active Pokémon would go. It was a rectangular pad with a LED screen in the centre, and a suspicious blue sphere embedded in the top.

"So uh, how do I use this?" said Yuusuke puzzled.  
"The thing in the centre is known as a Carddex, for the most part just treat the board the same as any normal playmat" Genji sighed. He lifted his bag up and began rummaging around for his deck. He stopped in his tracks and stared absolutely gobsmacked at Yuusuke as he produced a paper bag and from it, a deck still in his packaging.  
"Yuusuke... what're you doing?" gulped Daichi.  
"Oh well, like I said, last time I played this game I was a kid. I don't actually own any cards" Yuusuke explained whilst pulling the cards from their container "That's where I've been all afternoon, trying to buy some!".  
"Are you for real?" chuckled Genji "Well, lucky for you I do keep a deck of a similar level for my weaker opponents". He threw the first deck he had selected back into his bag and brought out another one. "This should be more than enough for a small fry like you".  
"Yeah we'll see..."

Yuusuke began to shuffle his cards. He was a bit out of practise and one of them hit against the pile and fell to the ground. Yuusuke picked up the card and found himself transfixed on it.

"It's cry alone is enough to intimidate most enemies..." he said reading the text at the bottom of the card "Sounds pretty tough!". He slid the card back into his deck and shuffled it in.

Both players set their decks onto the appropriate zone and picked up 7 cards to form their opening hands. A further 6 cards came off the top of the deck and were placed onto the opposite side of the mat to act as each player's Prize Cards. Yuusuke and Genji both picked 2 Pokémon cards to start off the game with. Each placing one into the pad of the device and an additional one onto the bench.

The group of watchers gathered around the side of the table and nervously waited for the game to begin. The two battlers reached out to the card in the centre of the Carddex and pressed their fingers gently on top of it.

"Whenever you're ready newbie"  
"I'm ready enough"  
"Then let's go, 3... 2... 1..."

"Pokémon card, I choose you!"

Both players flipped over the cards they had placed upon the tables. The moment they were flipped, both the Carddexes on the table began to emit a light, projecting images of the cards into the air above the table. A curvature of light span around Yuusuke, transfixing him as it danced up into the ceiling and back down. It split and reformed in the shape of a small sea otter sporting a scallop upon it's belly. Genji's stream of light took the form of a stern gopher. It clicked it's teeth in preparation.

"W-Wow they sure as hell didn't have these things back in my day!" gasped Yuusuke, marvelling at the technology they were using.  
"Yes yes I'm sure it's aaaall very exciting for you" groaned Genji in reply "Would you like to start? I can only hope you know how"  
"Trust me bub it's just like riding a bike. Here I go, draw!"

**Yuusuke's Active: Oshawott (Basic Pokémon - Water - HP 60)**  
**Yuusuke's Bench: Pidove (Basic Pokémon - Normal - HP 50)**

**Genji's Active: Patrat (Basic Pokémon - Normal - HP 50)**  
**Genji's Bench: Snivy (Basic Pokémon - Grass - HP 60)**

**Turn 1: Yuusuke**

"Now let me see if I've got this right" Yuusuke mused, flicking through the cards in his hand "Once per turn I can attach an Energy card from my hand to one of my Pokémon right?". Yuusuke placed a card under his Oshawott card and the holographic projector responded by launching a small blue orb that orbited the creature before being absorbed with a flash of light. "And after that I can use an attack right?"

"Yeah that's correct, after you've done everything to prepare, you can declare your Pokémon's attack" Genji said, reassuring him.  
"In that case, let's take first blood! Oshawott, attack Patrat with Tackle!" ordered Yuusuke. His Pokémon responded, taking a running start of Patrat. The creature leaped forward, slamming it's body straight into Patrat's face. The opposing creature recoiled as it was pushed back.  
"My Pokémon took 10 damage so I put 1 Damage Counter upon it" Genji said. He placed a small orange token on his card. **(Patrat HP: 40)**  
"After I attack, I'm not allowed to take any actions right? So then I guess that makes it your turn"

**Turn 2: Genji**

"Like you say, it's my turn" Genji conceded "I draw". He gave his hand the once over just to make sure he knew what he was working with and then, without so much as a moment's wait to aim, he threw a card from his hand so that it glided down under his Active Pokémon. "I attach a Psychic Energy to Patrat". A small purple orb hit Patrat, powering it up. The Pokémon flexed it's small arms and smirked knowingly at Yuusuke and his Pokémon. "Let's not waste time, Patrat attacks Oshawott with his own Tackle attack"  
"What an unfortunate attack name..." sighed Miyuki

Patrat went down on all fours and like Oshawott had previously done to it, the mammalian Pokémon dived into it's opponent, hitting it with all of it's weight. An orange damage counter appeared on Yuusuke's card to indicate it's damage **(Oshawott HP: 50)**.  
"Your turn" said Genji.

**Turn 3: Yuusuke**

"Oh it's on now, draw!" Yuusuke grinned, swiping a card off the top of his deck. He smiled when he looked at the card. It was all coming back to him. "During the main phase of my turn I'm allowed to place Basic Pokémon from my hand onto the Bench right?" he asked, although he needn't wait for an answer, he was merely prompting himself. He moved Pidove to the side and introduced a new card to his Bench beside it.  
"Joltik eh?" noted Daichi "So it's Water and Electric he's using..."  
"I'm gonna attach another Water Energy to my Oshawott" continued Yuusuke, putting another card under his main Pokémon. It gained another blue orb and as a result, the aura it was emitting grew larger still.

"Now show him what you're made of! Water Gun!" ordered Yuusuke, throwing out a triumphant fist. Oshawott took a deep breath in, soaking up a part of it's blue aura. Some form of reaction seemed to take place inside it's mouth and was released as a high-pressured blast of water that took Patrat off it's feet and sent it scuttling backwards along the invisible field above them. **(Patrat HP: 20)**.

"Over to you Genji"

**Turn 4: Genji**

"Draw" the upperclassman blankly said, drawing his next card. He threw another card down, this time sending it underneath the Pokémon on his Bench. "I attach a Grass Energy to Snivy" he explained.  
"Huh? Not to Patrat?" asked Miyuki, looking to the boys for some answers.  
"In this game your resources are important" explained Koushiro "And so are playing by numbers, Patrat's on the ropes and even if he could use it's better attacks, right now there's more reason for Genji to attach the Energy to one of his Benched Pokémon so it can take on Yuusuke's Pokémon at full strength when it gets out"  
"Ah, I see..."

"Strike, Patrat, go after Oshawott with another Tackle!" ordered Genji. His Pokémon reciprocated, ramming into Oshawott at full throttle again, knocking it temporarily onto one knee. **(Oshawott HP: 40)**. "Over to you"

**Turn 5: Yuusuke**

They're going pretty steady right now aren't they?" Miyuki noted, paying attention to the amount of damage both players had taken.  
"That tends to be how things go" said Daichi, catching her musings "For the first couple of turns, the players will back and forth attacks, but it's not long before one of them will have gotten what they need to REALLY get things going.."  
"Alrighty, my turn. I draw!" said Yuusuke. He picked up his next card and his eyes lit up.  
"...and it looks like Yuusuke's gotten just that!" added Daichi.  
"Heh, y'know it's funny..." smiled Yuusuke ever so lightly "I had basically forgotten all about this game but now all the joy I felt as a kid is flooding back, it's the greatest feeling ever!"  
"Yes well, what I'm feeling is impatient. Could we maybe move things along a bit?" Genji sighed.  
"With pleasure, here we go!" Yuusuke roared. His hand darted up into the air with the card he had drawn set upright. With a roar, he brought it down fiercely, placing it over the Oshawott. "Let's do this! I evolve Oshawott into Dewott!".

A small updraft rose from beneath Oshawott, carrying up with it a flurry of blue particles. Within seconds, the light breeze turned into a full on tornado. The cascade of blue wrapped itself around Oshawott, and slowly but surely, it's form began to change. The small puffy creature was replaced by a slender otter, wearing a hakama made of it's own dark blue skin, each side adorned with the same scallop it's predecessor had.

**Yuusuke's Active: Dewott (Stage 1 ****Pokémon** - Water - 70HP) (WW)

"So that's evolution?" asked Miyuki.  
"Yeah, certain Pokémon, in fact, most of them, can reach higher levels of power by evolving" Koushiro explained "To evolve a Pokémon you take it's Basic form, then place the Evolution Card on top of it. Evolving a Pokémon means it inherits any damage or Energy the previous form had"  
"But it's stronger right? So Yuusuke-Kun's got the upper hand?"

"Dewott's already got what he needs, so I think I'll give this here Lightning Energy to Joltik!" Yuusuke continued, placing the yellow energy card underneath his benched Pokémon "And with that done, go Dewott! Attack Patrat with Water Gun!".

Dewott focused it's sights on Patrat, which was now trembling and backing away. Dewott inhaled and unleashed a high-pressure stream of water that made Oshawott's similar move look like a running tap. The beam struck Patrat dead centre and the creature was sent flying back. It's eyes glazed over as the hologram lost consciousness. **(Patrat HP: 0)**

"Tch, not bad newbie..." Genji snarled, placing Patrat and his attachment into the discard pile.  
"Since I knocked out your Pokémon, I get to pick up my first Prize Card!" said Yuusuke, gleefully picking up one of his four prizes.

**Yuusuke's Prizes: 3 cards remaining**  
**Genji's Prizes: 4 cards remaining**

"Those Prize Cards are your victory condition right?" asked Miyuki "So then, Yuusuke-Kun's in the lead!"  
"For the time being at least" grumbled Naoto.

"Since my Patrat has been defeated it's time for a change of Pokémon" Genji noted. He placed his hand over the Pokémon on his bench and flipped it over to the now empty space on the Carddex. A small green snake creature materialised in the place of Patrat as Genji called "Snivy, I choose you". It unfolded a ruff of leaves from around it's head and gave Dewott the dirtiest of looks.

**Yuusuke's Active Pokémon: Dewott (Stage 1 ****Pokémon** - Water - 70HP) (WW)  
**Yuusuke's Bench: Joltik (Basic ****Pokémon** - Electric - 40HP) (L), Pidove (Basic **Pokémon** - Normal - 50HP)

**Genji's Active: Snivy (Basic ****Pokémon** - Grass - 60HP) (G)  
**Genji's Bench: N/A**

**Turn 6: Genji**

"It's my turn" Genji announced "And you're not the only one who can evolve a Pokémon!"  
"Don't tell me..." groaned Yuusuke.  
"I evolve my Snivy into Servine!" Genji bellowed. He placed the card over his Active Pokémon as Yuusuke had done, triggering a similar effect. The particles in the updraft were green this time, and they behaved as leaves would in a storm. Snivy absorbed the blustering storm grew longer, it's arms shrank into it and turned into a set of serrated leaves.

**Genji's Active Pokémon: Servine (Stage 1 ****Pokémon - Grass - **80HP) (G)

"I place Venipede on the Bench and attach a Psychic Energy to it" continued the turn player "And then Servine attacks Dewott with Wrap!". Servine slithered along the ground, coiling itself around Dewott's frame. It extend a set of ethereal vines around the parts of it's body it could not contained and began to constrict. Dewott winced in pain as the attack took it's effect. "As part of Wrap, I flip a coin and if it's heads your Pokémon will be paralyzed next turn!".  
"What? Paralyzed? What does that mean?" asked Miyuki, looking to the boys for answers with an alarmed look.  
"It means Yuusuke's Dewott won't be able to take any actions next turn and will be a sitting duck!"  
"No! Yuusuke-Kun!"

A coin appeared in the centre of the table, generated by the Carddex, and flipped itself into the air. Everyone watched as it span on it's axis, coming slowly down to the table again.

"Hmph, tails..." huffed Genji. Yuusuke gave a sigh on relief and set 2 damage counters on his Pokémon **(Dewott HP: 50)**.

**Turn 7: Yuusuke**

"Draw!"

"It's time to go all out! I attach a Lightning Energy to Dewott!" Yuusuke barked "And then I'll have him attack Servine with Razor Shell!". Dewott leapt into a sprint, charging at Genji's Pokémon with it's hands ready to grab the scallops on it's waist. "Razor Shell's got an effect too! I flip a coin and if it's heads the damage is bolstered by 20!" Yuusuke explained.

Another coin appeared in the centre. It twisted through the air, faster this time, and landed upright, signaling a success for Yuusuke. Dewott smirked, grabbed both it's scallops and leapt into the air in front of Servine. A blue aura burst out of both shells, taking the form of blades. Dewott swung both it's weapons into Servine, causing an explosion that hid the two Pokémon from view.

"Howsat?" said Yuusuke, pumping his fist "Servine just took a heap of damage! I... hm?". Slowly the smoke cleared. Dewott jumped back into it's place, returning it's scallops to their homes. Servine should have been on it's knees, however it was still standing strong. **(Servine HP: 40)**. "B-But how?" gasped Yuusuke.  
"Really? You even need to ask?" Genji chuckled "Servine is a Grass-type Pokémon! He has a resistance to your Water-type Pokémon's attacks! Any damage they do will be reduced by 20!".  
"T-That's right! His Servine has a -20 resistance to Water attacks and it's weakness is Fire-types!" gasped Yuusuke "I don't have anything like that in my deck! What the hell am I gonna do?".  
"There's not much to do" Daichi winced "Type match-ups are important in this game and Yuusuke just so happened to be unlucky with that Water/Electric deck. Genji's deck is mostly Grass-types, with the occasional Psychic-type like that Venipede on his bench. Yuusuke'll have to really play his ass off to win..."  
_"Calm down..."_ Yuusuke told himself _"While it's true that Servine can resist my attacks, Razor Shell still did a decent amount of damage. Servine's strongest attack is Tackle, which just does 30. Dewott will survive and next time he'll win with another Razor Shell!"._

Then Yuusuke heard Genji laughing, and looked up to see him full of vigor, staring down at his opponent as though he had already lost.

"I've had enough of this back and forth, it's time to put you in your place!"

**Turn 8: Genji**

"My turn, draw!"

"I attach a Grass Energy to Servine" said Genji, flicking the card under Servine's stack. He then picked up another card from his hand and held it inches from his face. A faint green light began to shine around the sides of the card as Genji's grin became harsher.  
"That card... it can't be!" Daichi gulped "Is that the card that defeated me?"  
" great beast that dwells in the darkness of the forest, burst forth and entwine my enemy in inescapable despair!" chanted Genji "I evolve my Servine into... SERPERIOR!".

A coiling green light smashed through the room, twisting around Servine. It scattered shining leaves everywhere which blotted out everything but Yuusuke, Genji, and their Pokémon. Servine took all the light in and unleashed it in a frenzied burst. When it dimmed, Genji's Pokémon stood majestically in it's ultimate form.

**Genji's Active Pokémon: Serperior (90HP) (GG)**

"A-A Stage 2..." whimpered Yuusuke, clutching his cards tight.  
"Remove that eyesore! Serperior, use Leaf Storm!" ordered Genji, pointing at Dewott. Serperior summoned forth a hurricane of razor sharp leaves and launched it at Dewott. The leaves stabbed through it and blew it back towards the far wall. The holographic projection was so intense that Yuusuke has forced to shield his eyes. He had not been expecting there to be a simulated wind, and he was knocked over. He tripped on the chairs behind and landed in a clutter on the ground. **(Dewott HP: 0)**.  
"D-Dammit... Dewott..." he muttered.  
"But that's not all!" Genji cackled, picking up his Prize Card "Whenever Serperior uses this move all my Grass Pokémon regain 20 HP!"  
"No way!"

The remnants of the attack soaked into Serperior's body and made it shine, removing it's existing wounds in the process. **(Serperior HP: 110)**.

"So have you had enough Yuusuke Kaiya? Do you need to carry on? You've already lost! Just give up and walk away with SOME dignity left intact!" Genji taunted.  
"Walk away from a guy like you? Like hell!" Yuusuke snapped, slowly lifting himself back up to the table "I won't give in, I won't accept your arrogant ways! If you wanna subdue me you're gonna have to do it the hard way".  
"Hmph, have it your way..."  
"Alright, it's not over! I've got some fight left in me!"

"It's my turn... DRAAAAAAAAAAAAW!"

**Next time: Stage 2: Blue Assault**

* * *

Thanks for reading. Reviews would be vastly appreciated. ^^


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